Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to wish you and your family love and Christmas blessings from our family to yours!

Hugs, Sharon

Stockings were hung...

Ok, I'm out of breath from the marathon wrapping, but it was so much fun getting gifts for our 19-month old grandson. Of course that means lots of wrapping, but it's so worth it. Tomorrow he'll probably be more interested in the boxes than what's in them. But it's going to be so wonderful watching the wonder on his little face. I can hardly wait! Oh yes, I did mention stockings, didn't I? I made some of those cute little stocking gift card holders and filled them. Thought I'd share them with you yet tonight.

Stamps: the to/from stamp is sitting out on my table and I have no idea what set it came from! oh oh!

Cardstock: Whisper White, with Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper

Ink: Cherry Cobbler

Accesssories: Big Shot with Holiday Stocking Bigz Die and an embossing folder for the fur, Antique Brads, White Striped Organza Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, and Sponge Dauber

Here's more of a closeup of a stocking. I loved the look of the Antique Brads with this DSP. It looks more vintage instead of just country. And the different prints of the papers were so much fun to mix and match. (The ladies in class made these and had their choice of print combos - so much fun choosing!) I had a few extras cut, so I made them up and hung them from our garland over the entertainment center. Nice touch!

It's time to leave for the candle-light service at church. This is one of my very favorite special services throughout the church year and I'd hate to miss it! Wishing you a very blessed Christmas with God' peace and love surrounding you in the coming year. Sharon

Musical Gifts

I've been busy making last minute gifts so haven't gotten around to posting lately. Just thought I'd share some of the cd holders that I made this past week. Luckily I remembered to take pictures before I'd given all of them away! Hope you enjoy!

Ok, there's lots of pics 'cuz I made 10 of these as gifts. Everything used is SU! except for two different dies I used - the ornament and the front of the blue one. Of course, that doesn't mean that everything is currently available. When it comes to my own project making, out comes all my retired favorites. Don't you do that too?


Loved using the Stocking Accents Die that coordinates with the Holiday Stocking Bigz Die. It made perfectly sized holly and smaller ornaments to use as accents on these cd holders.

Some of these really needed sponged accents, some didn't. It was really fun making these because each and every one was different. Wish I'd gotten pics of all of them, but then you'd still be looking at pics tomorrow morning!

I wanted to thank my friend Phyllis' husband Jeffrey for burning the cd's and making the playlist for me so all I had to do was get the cases put together. And that's the fun part anyway!!


Guess that's all for now. If I get everything else finished that needs doing, I'll post more Christmas gifts that I've been working on. Sorry I didn't have them all finished to show you a month ago when they'd have been some help for you. I'll have to work on that for next year!

Now I'm off to help Santa get all the gifts wrapped up and ready to go. Ho ho ho!!!
Sharon

PPA Challenge 124A

Oh my goodness! Can you believe it? Two challenges completed in one week! I think it might be a minor miracle for me. I checked out the Pals Paper Arts Challenge for this week here and knew exactly what I could do with it. It all came together so fast I was surprised at myself. So here it is. Hope you like it...

Stamps: Greeting Card Kids

Cardstock: Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, with Subtles Designer Paper

Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Pear Pizzazz, and Blush Blossom

Accessories: Big Shot with Northern Frost Sizzlits Strip Die, Snow Burst Embossing Folder, Lace Ribbon Border Punch, Aqua Painter, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Basic Rhinestones, and Dimensionals

I was going for a look of a frosty, wintery day, and I think it all worked out. Loved the pop of color the Riding Hood Red gives to the blue and white card. The pattern of the DSP and the lacy border mimic the snowflakes that are added. It's hard to see in the pics, but the Champagne Mist is touched on the star to give it a little shimmer.

That's it for today. I'm off to shop hop and have dinner with some of my good stamping friends. The weather looks perfect for our annual Christmas outing with just a sprinkling of teeny tiny flakes coming down. Hope you have a great day! Sharon

Lacy Valentine

I got a chance to check out this week's challenge over at the Stamping 411 blog here, and thought I could manage this one with no problem. And then it actually took me two days to get what I wanted from my imagination down to paper. How crazy is that! But now that it's finished, I really do like it and hope you do too. And can you believe it's a Valentine card when it's still 13 days til Christmas? What was I thinking???

Stamps: You Are Loved (Holiday mini)

Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Rose Red, with Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Series Paper

Ink: markers-Wild Wasabi, Rose Red, and Cherry Cobbler

Accessories: Lace Ribbon Punch, Big Shot with Fashionable Hearts Embosslit Die(sneak peek), Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Basic Rhinestones, and Dimensionals

Did you notice those cute little hearts? They have all this wonderful texture just like our butterfly embosslit die. And just in case you're wondering, they were made with a new embosslit that will be available January 4th in the new Occasions Mini Catalog along with lots of wonderful new items. I can hardly wait!!

Instead of a diagonal banner with words like the original sketch, I used the pretty Lace Ribbon Punch to make it more feminine. Couldn't find a matching ribbon to weave through the paper lace, so I ended up cutting a skinny strip of cardstock to fit through it. Worked out just fine!

Well, that's it for today. Why not play along with the Stamping 411 Operators on the sketch this week. It's always fun and gets you thinking and creating. Have a great week. Gotta run - the class ladies will be here any minute. In the next couple of days I'm hoping to get their projects posted for you. Keep your fingers crossed! Sharon

Christmas Card CASE

Hope you're having a blessed Sunday! Yesterday I had some free time and got a chance to visit some blogs. Oh my, the ideas that are out there! I felt like a kid in a candy shop! I did find a lovely card at Kathe's Adventures here, and thought it would be a great card to CASE for my Christmas card stash that I've been working on. Go check out her's and you'll see I made a few changes to make it fit my style a bit more.

Stamps: Bells & Boughs, and The Sounding Joy
Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, and Very Vanilla
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, and Crumb Cake
Accessories: Sponge quarter, Mini Glue Dots, and retired SU! gold ribbon

After all the watercolored holly from yesterday's cards, I went much more simple on today's card. I kept the layout and colors from Kathe's original card, but changed the stamps and ribbon used and added some Crumb Cake sponging to give it a softer, more vintage, look. I had totally forgotten about this ribbon in my retired stash, but it gives just enough soft glimmer to brighten my card.

Here's the inside - again very simply done. But I'm happy with another 10 cards to add to my basket. I'm getting closer to having enough cards to mail out. Then comes the job of addressing and signing each of them. But today is only December 11th, so I think I've got time to get them all finished and in the mail. We'll see....

Thanks for coming by. Hope you're enjoying your preparations for Christmas too. Now I'm off to my daughter's house where we'll be making her favorite cookies - Chocolate Pixies. Have yourself a great week. Hope you'll stop by again soon. Sharon

Lots of Holly

I spent last Sunday afternoon working at a fundraiser for Breast Cancer Awareness. There was a luncheon and 10 stamping projects that the ladies made. Since holding classes on a regular basis, I've learned to cut a few extra cards to be ready for those really bad 'oops moments'. So I had extra cardstock, ribbon, etc. cut and ready to go that wasn't used. Might as well make them up for some of my Christmas cards, right? And here I go again... I even made changes to the card the ladies made at the event!
Stamps: Bells & Boughs, and Peaceful Season(retired)
Cardstock: Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, and Very Vanilla
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Old Olive, and Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: AquaPainter, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Victoria Crochet Trim, Mini Glue Dots, and non-SU! ribbon

Let me just say, I loved making these cards! But after watercoloring all the holly on 12 cards, I had had enough. I think they look fabulous and I'm really happy I made them, but I'm done with them for awhile. I deliberately left the edges on alot of the holly with no green to remind me of the holly plant my mom had. Of course the greens are darker on the real holly, but this worked out just fine. I also thought about glitzing it up with some glitter, then decided I really liked it as it was.

So that's all for today. Thanks for stopping by. I'll be posting more Christmas cards as they're made. I usually only make 10-12 of any one version of card. Not sure why, but that's how I do it. So that means there should be a few more Christmas card posts pretty soon, or I'll be sending my cards out 2 days before Christmas again this year! Have a great day.... Sharon

Pines and Poinsettias

Where does the time go? I can't believe how I'm getting farther and farther behind already this month! Sometimes I think extra days slide by when I go to sleep at night and when I wake up it's three days later or something like that. It couldn't possibly be that I'm just unorganized and things all start ganging up on me. Or maybe I just get myself involved in too many things. Whatever it is, I'm way behind the eight-ball already and it's only the 7th of December. I think I'll be ready for Christmas sometime mid-January if that's all right with you. Anyway, I do have a card to share with you today. It was made a couple weeks ago, just not posted yet. It uses both the Pines and Poinsettias stamp set and coordinating Holly Berry Bouquet DSP which I just love!
Stamps: Pines and Poinsettias, and Petite Pairs
Cardstock: Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, and Whisper White with Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Series Paper
Ink: Wild Wasabi, Real Red, and Early Espresso markers
Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Large and Extra Large Tag Punches, Oval and Scallop Oval Punches, Simply Scored Tool, 1/16" Circle Punch, Linen Thread, Real Red Satin Ribbon, and Dimensionals

I had seen a couple similar cards on the Stampin' Connection (a sharing web sight for demonstrators). I sort of combined the ideas, but had to make a few changes as usual. Did you notice the grid-style of embossing on the Early Espresso layer on the left? It's done with the Simply Scored tool and is so very easy to do. But it adds so much texture to an area that looked a little bare. It was the perfect touch!

Next I have to mention how great this stamp set is! The elements all look so natural and nicely snow-covered without having to add anything extra to it. Of course, a little sprinkle of glitter to the 'snowy' areas would always work out nicely too.


Hope you enjoyed this idea and try it out for yourself. Thanks for stopping in and not giving up on me! Have a great day! Sharon

Snowy Fun

What a gorgeous day it was today! Sunshine and in the 40's without too much wind. Now that kind of weather I can deal with all winter long. What's that you say? It's not even winter yet? Oh oh, and it's going to get really nasty out there? Oh bummer. Well, at least I can enjoy the great days when we have them. The bad weather will make me appreciate the warmer days even more! But getting back to my card, I've been thinking ahead to the snowy weather and making snowmen with our grandson. Now, that's going to be fun I'm sure! I wanted to make a card that would showcase that event. This card seems to fit the bill. What do you think?

Stamps: Snow Much Fun and Petite Pairs

Cardstock: Marina Mist, and Whisper White

Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Marina Mist, Pear Pizzazz, Poppy Parade, Pumpkin Pie, and Basic Gray

Accessories: Big Shot with Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Aqua Painter, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Corner Rounder Punch, Large Oval Punch, (retired small oval punch), White Gel Pen, Marina Mist Scallop Dots Ribbon, Tombow Multipurpose Glue, Mica Flakes, and Dimensionals

Yep, that's a lot of stuff used on this card, but I love the different punched pieces popped on it. And isn't that snowball the bird is rolling just too cute with the Mica Flakes added? It makes it look like there's lots of flakes of snow. I purposely left the snowman glitter-free to draw attention to the snowball and bird. Actually, the card just makes me smile when I look at it. And this time around, that's what really matters. Hope someone loves getting this snowy snowman card for Christmas 'cuz I sure had fun making it!

Thanks for popping in. Hope you enjoyed your visit. Ya'll come back now, y'hear?

Sharon

Joyous Sunday

I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, down in my heart, down..... ehem. All right, no more singing. (at least not right now!) Yes, it was an uplifting service today. And with the holidays coming up I'm filled with thankfulness and joy for the many ways God has blessed me. So today I'm sharing a little bit of that joy with you too! I've had The Sounding Joy stamp set since the Holiday Mini came out, but just couldn't decide what I wanted to do with it. I thought about gold or silver embossing and making it really elegant, or the other end of the spectrum and using more country-style colors and papers. What I ended up making seems to be a melding of the two different looks into something all my own. Here's the card...

Stamps: The Sounding Joy
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, and Naturals Ivory
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, and Gold Encore
Accessories: Big Shot with Striped Embossing Folder, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Very Vanilla Velvet Ribbon, Dimensionals, and Sponge Daubers


First I need to apologize for the background in the pictures. I thought there would be more contrast between it and the Crumb Cake cardstock for the base of the card. Ah, not so much! I'll have to keep that in mind for future picture taking sessions.

I love the contrast of richness of the velvet ribbon and country of the Crumb Cake and Naturals
cardstocks. They seemed to play very well together. To add to the richness factor (is there such a thing?), I heavily sponged gold ink on the edge over the sponged Cherry Cobbler. I'm sitting here thinking the next one of these I make might be distressed on the edge before (or maybe after too) adding the sponged edges.

Do you have that problem too? Every time I think I'm happy with a card and I'm adding it to my blog, I start thinking of other possibilities I could have tried to give it a different look. Oh well, never satisfied. Or is that actually a good thing? If I was always satisfied, I guess we'd never try anything new or different. And that would sure cut down on the fun and excitement of stamping.

Okay, that's enough rambling on today. Thanks for stopping by for a peak. I hope you're enjoying your day as much as I am! Sharon

Two fer Tuesday

Here I go again! I couldn't decide on how I wanted the components of this card to fit together. So why not try both versions and see what you think? I so enjoy using the Pines and Poinsettias stamp set. The images are fabulous colored with markers and then giving a little 'huff' and voila! Instant gorgeous! Especially the pinecones that look covered with snow! Love it sooooo much, and I've been using it for so many cards lately. Here, let me show you two of them...

Stamps: Pines and Poinsettias, and Petite Pairs

Cardstock: Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi with Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Series Paper

Ink: Real Red pad and Early Espresso, Real Red, and Wild Wasabi markers

Accessories: Big Shot with Petals Aplenty Embossing Folder, Ornament Punch, (small oval punch-retired), Large Oval Punch, Scallop Oval Punch, Real Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Sponge Dauber, Mini Glue Dots, and Dimensionals

I chose this embossing folder to coordinate with the poinsettias in the paper background. All the colors of ink also coordinate with the DSP. That makes it so easy when you're planning on what to use. The only problem is how you want to do the layout!

Here's the other version of today's card. I changed the embossing folder to the Snow Burst, gave it a 'fish tail', and laid it on it's side. I also changed the sentiment to one from the Teeny Tiny Wishes set. It was stamped with Wild Wasabi, punched with the Word Window Punch, then layered with the Modern Label Punch.

That's it for today - short and sweet. Glad you found time to stop in to see what's new. Have a great day.

Sharon

Oooh, A Challenge

I'm so excited that I had time to even look at the Stampin 411 Challenge here before the week had gone by. And I actually came up with an idea for the challenge too. How fun is that?! Well maybe you don't think it's such a big deal, but when you haven't done it for a while - it's big! I knew I wanted to use the lovely Spice Cake Designer Series Paper and the little girl stamp from the Gift Givers set together for a Christmas card, so that's where I started. With all the parameters I had set for myself it was a little harder than I thought it would be. After walking away from it at dinner-time, I wasn't sure it would ever make it to the challenge. But after sleeping on it, I knew just what needed to be done to finish it up. Here's the final card idea. Hope you like it...

Stamps: Gift Givers, and Punch Pals

Cardstock: Pool Party, Very Vanilla, and Early Espresso with Spice Cake Designer Series Paper

Ink: Basic Brown (retired), Pool Party, and Lucky Limeade pads, and Early Espresso marker

Accessories: Big Shot with Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, Aqua Painter, Multi purpose Liquid Glue, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, and Dimensionals

When I started putting the layers together, the Early Espresso looked too dark with the overall lightness of the rest of the card, so I started to add skinny layers of it everywhere to balance it out.

For some reason I had this idea of a thick crusted ridge of glitter going around the scalloped layer looking like snowbanks or some such thing. I like the way all the ideas meshed together to make this cute little card. It actually worked!

Thanks for stopping by today for a peek, and hope you enjoyed it! Have a great week. Sharon

Two for One Today

I guess this is what happens when I have time to play around with my stampin' stuff all day! No babysitting today, so all afternoon was spent designing cards. Oh, I'd almost forgotten how much fun that is!! I had an idea to do a mostly white card with just a little pop of accent color. Since I hadn't even inked up my Gifts of Christmas stamp set this year, I thought it would be perfect for what I had in mind. Well, I did a little boo boo when I embossed the first stamping by using gold glitter instead of gold embossing powder. Hmmm, slightly messy when it all came off on my fingers. Oh yeah, I really make dumb mistakes every once in awhile, and that was a really big one! But not to despair, just rethink the idea and go on from there. Here's the two cards that came from that one idea...

Stamps: Gifts of Christmas

Cardstock: Whisper White and Cherry Cobbler

Ink: Encore Gold Ink

Accessories: Big Shot with Snow Burst Embossing Folder, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, Dazzling Details Glitter Glue, and Dimensionals

This is the first version of the card that I accidentally used the gold glitter instead of embossing powder. I'm still not sure how I made such a big mistake, but anyway... After brushing off the glitter (that didn't want to be heat set at all!), the gold ink looked really soft and pretty, so I just went with that. I had to change my layering color and ribbon to work more with the softer look which I'm now happy with. Just a touch of Dazzling Details to the flower centers and this one was done.

Then I decided to try it one more time the way I had originally planned with the gold embossing and glitzy Red Glimmer Paper. Ooh la la! That really took it up a notch. I'm still not sure about the Real Red 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon for an accent. Maybe it's not quite dark enough or not shiny enough? It still might get popped off of there and replaced with something else. We'll have to think on that a bit more.

As you can see, this card also has the Dazzling Details on the flower centers for a little more glitz. Hope you like these ideas today. And just for your information, my gold glitter is now labeled as such so there hopefully won't be anymore mistakes like that! Enjoy your weekend! And make sure you've got a few minutes to get your fingers inky. Sharon

Blue Snowflakes for Christmas

What is there about snowflakes that always has me reaching for my blue cardstocks and ink? They just fit together so well. It reminds me of quiet, winter nights with the moon glistening on the freshly fallen snow. Everything is so silent and peaceful. At least for awhile anyway! So every year I make at least one (sometimes a half dozen different ones!) snowflake card with lots of blue and white. This year is no different. I had seen an idea that I could expand on and thought it would go very well with the snowflake theme. But it was a struggle coming up with blues that I liked together. Here's what I finally did for my blue snowflake idea for this year...

Stamps: Snow Swirled, and Four the Holidays
Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Island Indigo, and Marina Mist
Ink: Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist pads and Whisper White Craft Pad
Accessories: 1 3/8" Square Punch, and Dazzling Details (iridescent glitter glue)

After trying all the different blues that Stampin' Up! has to offer, these are the ones that appealed to me. I would have like to have them go darkest to lightest in order, but I didn't care for the two outside colors next to each other. So there you have it - which colors and why I arranged them as I did. I know, you were just dying to know all that, weren't you?

There was also the dilema of rhinestones or not. After thinking about it, thought I'd give the new Dazzling Details glitter glue a try on this. What a great choice! I loved how it turned out just a little less glitz than a rhinestone, but still with a touch of shine to draw your attention.

And for those of you that hate cutting those 'fishtails' in the bottom of cardstock, the square punch worked out great! This is something my class ladies will love to hear 'cuz it's a finish I like to add to cards. See, there's always something new to learn. It could be a new trick, or a faster, easier way of doing something.

Hope you enjoyed today's card idea. And thanks for stopping by today to see what's new. Have a great day. Sharon

Plaid Christmas Lodge

Ever since I saw the awesome Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper, I've had this idea of using the little plaid print on a smallish square card. I love the look of the plaid design just peeking out around the stamped main layer. I had been working on a different card with the lodge and greeting stamped with the Cherry Cobbler, but the size wasn't working out. So I set it aside, cut a larger piece of white cardstock and started over. Much better for that project. But that meant I still had this smaller piece all stamped up and waiting for me. This is what became of it - quite simple but cute I think!

Stamps: Christmas Lodge
Cardstock: Whisper White with Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding Ribbon, 2-Way Glue Pen, and Dazzling Diamonds Glitter



It was wonderfully easy to get this card together - especially after the struggle with yesterday's card!! That little bit of green from the plaid is just enough peeking out around all the edges. You can't get a simpler card then adding a little sprinkle of glitter on the snowy areas and adding a ribbon. I just love how quick and easy this was to make. I can see a few more of these being made in my future.

Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you're having a great week. And get started on those Christmas cards while there's still time. Enjoy the day! Sharon

Happy Holidays

Finally getting back here with another Christmas card idea. I've been seeing so many nice ideas using printed paper pleated on cards to look like fabric ruffles. So I thought why not give it a try. Now first of all, you have to understand that anything to do with math is totally foreign to me. It's been a major struggle since grade school. And let me tell you, that was a heck of a long time ago!!! So after struggling with this idea for a good long while, I've finally got a card to share. Now, that ruffle/pleated thingy is not perfect, but it's going to have to do for now until I can figure out an easier way to make this. Any math brains out there that want to share the secret for doing this right??? If so, please take pity on me and give me some pointers. TIA

Stamps: Christmas Lodge
Cardstock: Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla with Frostwood Lodge Designer Series Paper
Ink: Early Espresso and Garden Green ink pads and Whisper White Craft Pad
Accessories: Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Big Shot with Snow Burst Embossing Folder, Cherry Cobbler 3/8" Quilted Satin Ribbon, Sponge Daubers, and Dimensionals

I simply love all the textures on this card! Along with the pleated paper, you have the new quilted satin ribbon that is really gorgeous! Then add the embossed and sponged layer of snowflakes and it really stands out. Not glitzy at all, but more country chic with the colors and little bit of plaid.

Like I mentioned earlier, I really struggled with the paper pleating. I couldn't get it to fit across the card the way I wanted with the pleats ending the same on both sides. Other than that little factor, I really liked making the pleats and will definitely give it a go again soon. Any pointers out there???

Hope you had a lovely weekend. I really should have been outside raking, but was just too cozy inside to bother. That just means there'll be many more leaves to rake later on, right? Here's to cozy afternoons inside just relaxing (and doing a little stamping too!). Sharon

Glittery Snowflake

What a week it's been with Halloween on Monday and stamping at church on Tuesday night. We were working on Valentine cards for our soldiers and the ladies did a fabulous job of making over 180 cards that night! Wow, that's quick stamping and real dedication. Thanks to all of you who came out on Tuesday for this event! But you're here to see a card, not just hear a lot of talking. So let's check out a card I made last night. I'm not sure if it'll be for class yet or not. It depends on some other ideas I have kicking around in the old noggin!

Stamps: Four the Holidays, and Many Merry Messages

Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Marina Mist, and Whisper White with Silver Glimmer Paper

Ink: Rich Razzleberry and Marina Mist Classic Ink and White Craft Ink

Accessories: Big Shot with Northern Flurry Embossing Folder, Doily Triple Layer Punch, Subtles Brads, Paper Snips, and Sponge Dauber

Don't you love the look of the glittery snowflake 'doily' added to this card? (I know it's not a snowflake, but I thought it looked close enought for me!) Even a small amount of this Silver Glimmer Paper really adds a pop of glitz to any project you make. I love how easy it is to punch through. And all the glitter stays on the project, not on my hands, or my face, or even my cat that decided to lay down right on the card! Yes, I love this glittery paper!!

Thought you'd like to see the inside of the card too. I added some snowflakes from the Snow Swirled set as an accent because it looked so bare. I'll use more of the snowflakes on the envelope too. I think they look so much more interesting with a little stamping on the outside of the envelope than just boring plain ones.

Well that's it for today. Hopefully I'll be back with more Christmas ideas soon! Have a great day! Sharon

Serene Snowflake Card

Back to Christmas cards today. This is an updated version of a card I made last year. And I like this version better than the first one. Which is a good thing, wouldn't you agree? It would be a pitiful thing if I updated an old card and didn't like the newer version. Of course if that happened, you can be sure I wouldn't be posting it here for you to see. Gotta hide all the rejects, you know! Anyway, on to the new and improved snowflake card. Ta Da...

Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, and Bells and Boughs
Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso, and Very Vanilla
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Big Shot with Northern Flurry Embossing Folder, Smooch Accent Ink Illuminate Top Coat, Extra Large Oval Punch, Victoria Crochet Ribbon, Sponge Dauber, and Dimensionals


This angle shows off the Northern Flurry Embossing really well. It's pretty enough to stand on it's own if you do a white-on-white card. Now wouldn't that be lovely? (Hmmm, file that in the brain for future reference.) But this card has more of a laid-back country feel to it with the crochet trim and earthy colors. I thought the swirly sentiment from Bells and Boughs set went very nicely with the swirly designs of the stamped snowflakes. This angle doesn't show off the lovely Smooch Accent Ink touched on the embossed snowflakes, so...


I took this shot to show you how delicately shimmery the embossed snowflakes really are. Very soft and subtly done with the Illuminate Top Coat. Of course this part took the longest to do. It dried very quickly, but was a little putzy puting all the small dots on. So I won't be making dozens of this card, but maybe a few more for some special friends. We'll see.

Thanks for taking time out to stop in again. This has been a great week for getting some cards made. Hopefully I have time and this creative streak continues on. It's fun having new things to post for you a little more regularly. Have a wonderful day! Sharon

Last Halloween Card

Last night I finally finished up the last of the Halloween cards I'm sending out. Ladies in class made a version of this card earlier this month as one of the projects. It just took me a little while to get around to making mine up to send out. This card is pretty much copied from "Stampin' Success" which is Stampin'Up!'s magazine for demonstrators. They showed a card using the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool which I totally luv!! Of course I changed it so I could use what I had on hand to give me a similar look. This is the finished card...

Stamps: Batty For You and Grateful Greetings
Cardstock: Concord Crush, River Rock, Old Olive, and More Mustard with Brights Pattern Pack of Designer Series Paper
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Simply Scored Scoring Tool, 1 3/4" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Paper Snips, Sticky Strip, and Multi-Purpose Glue


I just love the color combination of purple and orange. They are just perfect foils for each other. And the River Rock is a good accent color instead of either White or Vanilla.

I think I've mentioned how easy and fun the Simply Scored Tool works. Using the stylus does a great job of keeping the lighter weight DSP from tearing through when you score. I've found that using the smaller end for cardstock and the larger end for all your lighter weight papers works just right. This piece was scored every 1/4". For larger medallions, it's fun to score every 1/2" for a much more substantial piece like ornaments or extra bling for your gift packages. Just something to think about since Christmas seems to be just around the corner and creeping up fast. (now that's scary!)

Have fun putting the final touches on your Halloween decorations and costumes. If the weather is cooperating, we'll be joining our kids taking our grandson out for trick or treating this year. Doesn't that sound like fun? Spooooky greeeeetings! Sharon

Gently Falling Again

Goodness! I just can't leave this stamp set alone! It keeps calling out to me that Christmas can wait just a little bit longer and I can play with my leaves just one more time. Or maybe two, um, or even three more times. Who knows, I'm just not ready to move on yet!

Stamps: Gently Falling and Grateful Greetings

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla with Well Worn Designer Series Paper

Ink: Not Quite Navy, Cajun Craze, More Mustard, and Early Espresso

Accessories: Simply Scored Scoring Tool, Big Shot with Square Lattice Embossing Folder and Scallop Squares Duo Bigz Die, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, and Sponge Dauber

Have I mentioned the Simply Scored Scoring Tool yet? Well let me tell you - it's simply fabulous! I can't tell you how many gate-fold cards I've made since getting this tool. It makes it so easy to do any scoring you need, whether it's just scoring the fold on a regular card, a fancy fold card, or one of the fan-fold paper medallions that are so much fun to make! This is one of the best purchases I've made in a long while! Hmmm, I wonder if SU! might come out with a certain addition to this tool (hint, hint) that I'd love to have. We'll just have to wait and see.

Back to the card now. I just love the Well Worn DSP with these leaves. I've used a couple of different prints from this paper pack with the leaves and different inks. All I can say is 'yummy'! So many great prints in this pack and they are perfect for those masculine cards you always need. It's a good DSP pack to have on hand.

If you look closely, you'll see the outlines of the leaves shows up rather lightly. I didn't add it until after the cardstock had been put through the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. That way the details only showed up on the upper texture of the cardstock. I chose to use a Stamp-a-ma-jig to get them lined up just the way I wanted. And then adding the sponging over this just enhanced the detail of the embossing perfectly.

Hope you enjoy the latest in the never-ending usage of my Gently Falling stamp set. Yes, right now it's at the top of my absolute favorite stamp list. Wonder what's going to push it out of the top spot? You never know! Stay tuned for the continuing saga, blah, blah, blah.

Sharon

Grandson's Halloween Card

Thought I'd share another Halloween card with you since there's another week to go before the 'spooky day' arrives. I just did a simple little card for my grandson. As he's just under 18 months, I didn't think he'd care about fancy techniques or lots of embellishments. So this card is sweet and simple in the extreme! And I confess I went scrounging around in my retired stash looking for a cute purple cardstock to use. So, here it is...

Stamps: Jack of All Trades, and Autumn Apparitions (retired)
Cardstock: Basic Black, Tangerine Tango, and Vintage Violet (retired)
Ink: Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, and Basic Black
Accessories: Paper Snips and Dimensionals





It's so funny that I can't even tell you the names of the DSP that I used! They were from the time when our DSP was printed only on one side and white on the back. How long ago was that? And I only had a few smaller pieces still left. So what was it I used - I have absolutely no idea!! But it went nicely with the Tangerine Tango that I wanted to use for the pumpkin, and that's all I needed to know.

I forgot to take a pic of the inside where I used the spider and bat along with the sentiment from the Autumn Apparitions set. Hope he likes his little card. It's only a 4 1/4" square little card - just his size.

Thanks for stopping in and seeing what's new (or sometimes old!). Hope you're having a serene and relaxing Sunday. There's something so refreshing about going to church in the morning and then relaxing on a Sunday afternoon. It's my favorite day of the week! Enjoy! Sharon